Company Cites Customer Satisfaction In Report On Basd Energy Savings

May 16, 1988|The Morning Call

Representatives of Honeywell Building Services pointed to annual energy savings of $83,689 and expressions of customer satisfaction as they gave an interim report on their performance to the Bethlehem Area School District under a two-year contract that will soon expire.

Honeywell's mission was to evaluate the temperature controls in 23 schools or other district buildings and maintain those controls, replacing components or making repairs where needed. The firm was paid $356,000.

The comfort of students and staff - not a guarantee of energy savings - was the primary reason the district focused on the temperature controls, according to Dominic A. Villani, the director of plant management. He said the savings are a welcome spinoff.

Villani said the Honeywell report, given to the Bethlehem Area School Board last week, doesn't show a complete picture. A final audit of energy use over two years will not be possible until the contract ends in November. He said he would not have been surprised if energy use had increased in some buildings because some previously inoperative equipment is being restored to service.

The report shows that the biggest collective saving of $42,716 was recorded by the seven schools that depended solely or partially on natural gas: Donegan, Marvine, Freemansburg, Fountain Hill, East Hills, Northeast and Broughal. Some buildings use more than one type of fuel.

A group of nine buildings, all using No. 2 fuel oil, showed a $25,188 total saving. The group includes the district's maintenance building; Monocacy and Lafayette, former elementary schools now used for other purposes, and six active schools - Buchanan, Clearview, Lincoln, Spring Garden, Hanover and Nitschmann.

Four schools using electricity to heat showed a net saving of $1,354. The schools are: Thomas Jefferson, Asa Packer, William Penn and Freedom. The three elementary schools cut their power use during 1986-87. Each showed savings in the $4,000 to $5,000 range.

However, Freedom's power consumption increased, resulting in a cost increase of $12,455. Villani said Honeywell's work on heating controls in Freedom was delayed, so the 1986-87 figures don't reflect the performance that might be expected in the future.

Jeff McKeever, a Honeywell spokesman, said the firm had to deal with 9,000 to 10,000 control devices in the 23 buildings. He said the average age for the systems was about 20 years. He said such devices as thermostats and damper motors were replaced where needed. Because of their age, the control systems will require further attention to ensure their reliability, he said.

McKeever said replies to a questionnaire sent to the buildings indicate there is a high level of satisfaction with the results.

District officials are now discussing a new contract with Honeywell that would continue controls maintenance and expand into a preventive maintenance program for seven large chillers or air conditioning units in five schools: Donegan and Fountain Hill elementary, East Hills middle, and Liberty and Freedom high schools.

Villani said he expects the cost of maintaining the temperature controls will decline since so much component replacement work has already been done. He said the district is interested in seeing the chillers properly maintained because they cost $50,000 to $100,000 to replace.

He said officials will explore thepossibility of doing more "spot cooling" for greater efficiency, notably in Freedom and Donegan. Leonard A. Andrucci, one of the nine school directors, has spoken several times on the need for "spot cooling" in Freedom, for example.

Andrucci said smaller air conditioning units to serve the office areas at Freedom during the summer would permit the shutdown of the large system that serves the whole school, thus saving electricity.